Headed to Cudjoe Key, FL. Need some help

[pierce652]

My mother rented a condo for a month at Venture Out Resort in Cudjoe Key, about 19 miles from Key West. They are bringing her boyfriends 24 foot center console. They invited us and were going Oct 29 to Nov 4th.

I have my salt rod with wf9i ready to go. Any tips or pointers? Has anyone been here or heard of the area?

I will do some regular fishing for mahi-mahi, yellow tail, tarpin, grouper and possibly sailfish if they are running but Id also like to use the fly rod.

Any tips on flys or anything else. Im thinking of trying from the boat but will also try wading. Are booties an absolute necessity?

Otherwise it will be a good trip of regular fishing for the big guys.

I know this is a disjointed post but this trip literally presented itself to us 2 days ago and Im still trying to transition from bow season back to flyfishing.

 

[BigCliff]

I think that's a bit late in the year for Keys tarpon, and that 9wt would be way outmatched anyways. A 9wt in the keys is ideal for bonefish, mangrove snapper, and some other smaller species. Up in the Everglades, it would be ideal for redfish and baby tarpon, but you won't find them very near Cudjoe.

There are portions of the Keys that can be waded barefoot with no issue, as its sand with maybe some grass mixed in. However, those areas could have some coral mixed in that no feet are matched for, and it takes some experience to recognize what's wadeable. As a newcomer to the Keys, I wouldn't recommend getting out of the boat barefoot.

 

[wjc]

Pierce,

I just wade with old sneakers and if I don't have any I wade with new sneakers which become old sneakers very quickly.

If you have some backing on that 9 weight, I'd take it with me for dolphin if I were you. They are a ball on a fly rod. If you get into some, get someone else to haul in the hooked fish and you get the rest of the spread hauled in quick then get ready with your fly rod in case there are some followers.

Yellowtail will also take a fly if you get them chummed up good on top behind the boat, but a nine is a bit beefy for them.

Small blackfins are around now too, and you might get into some of those. The nine would work for them too.

Check with the bait shops and anybody else that smells like dead fish soon as you get down there.:thumbup:

Like Cliff says, don't even think about wading flats barefoot.

Here's a link to cujoe offshore. http://forums.floridasportsman.com/forum/keys-fishing-reports/cudjoe-offshore-103

Another with pics of blackfin. http://forums.floridasportsman.com/forum/keys-fishing-reports/oct-4-fishing-marathon-hump-my-son

Overcast days are best for blackfin.

And have fun.

cheers,
Jim

 

[ikankecil]

If you are based in Cudjoe and want to wade, you'd do well to hop in your car and drive up the road to Bahia Honda (very close). Wading in Cudjoe or Summerland is virtually nonexistent on the ocean side and the bayside is usually either too soft or too warm/stagnant to hold fish.

If you have a boat, head out to the wrecks (Wilkes Barre would be my first target) and fish a sinking line. Plenty of AJ's, Tunny, mac's to keep it fun. Closer in on the reef the yellowtail will eat flies but make sure you have some fairly skinny fluoro along, they can be very picky when the water is clear. If there is current running to stir things up, they are much easier to hook.

Old tennis shoes will work fine for wading but wear something you don't mind getting wet as some of the channels are deep and it's not so much wading as it is swimming to get across them.

 

[BigCliff]

One last point, if you're going to wade while using an intermediate line, you'll need a stripping basket to keep you from walking/tripping all over the line. Just getting a floating line might be easier.